


Disruption

by Mi_n_ico



Series: Misc Fe3h stuff [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Lorenz is trying so hard he ends up screwing himself over, Multi, Polyamory, hes too good for this world and I’m gonna prove it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24993409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mi_n_ico/pseuds/Mi_n_ico
Summary: Lorenz’s entrance to the Officer’s Academy came under strange circumstances. For the first few weeks they had no house leader (though he and Hilda had taken up the mantle in a way)and no one quite knew what was going on with House Riegan anyway.Until the entire situation came crashing down upon them with the fire of a thousand suns. Glittery, funny, intelligent, handsome suns.Not that Lorenz likes him or anything! Right?If Lorenz likes anybody it’s Leonie! Except he wouldn’t dare do anything about that. Because even though she’s funny and strong and not scared to tell him he’s wrong, and he’d be happy with her in a palace or a puddle… well if she isn’t making him give up his responsibilities and dreams, he has no right to do that to her. And marrying Lorenz… well that’s the last nail in the coffin of her dreams.So that’s obviously not happening. Right?
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Leonie Pinelli, Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Series: Misc Fe3h stuff [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678138
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> So hey, if you’re wondering where the next chapters of the chatfic are welllll... my laptop is being a lil whore. And since I pre-write the chapters, then transfer them to google docs, then post off my phone cause I’ve been logged in on my phone for months and I can’t remember my password and don’t feel like redoing it...  
> I hope this fic I had in my docs will appease you!   
> I’m also leaving for a six day camping trip in less than two days so I can’t really post anything in that time so I’m gonna try and whip out the second half of this fic in one night and post it all!

Lorenz sighed as he made his way towards the Golden Deer classroom. What was the point of having classes today? They had no teacher (the academy was down a man so the remaining two had to rotate) and no house leader, and it was only on Hilda’s request that everyone still gathered in the classroom on these mornings to scrounge up something to do. 

And while they received much praise from Rhea for remaining diligent under the circumstances, not much really got done during these morning meetings. 

As Lorenz found himself at the door, he realized with a small smile that the class was quite rowdy this morning; people were talking over each other and he could hear chairs scraping as people got up and moved around. Good. He’d always rather have that group at their rowdiest than have them somber and uninterested. 

The door was ajar, allowing him to slip in with minimal interruption. He wanted to see what they were so excited about before they scrambled back to their chairs at the sight of him. 

Everyone in the room was crowded around the desk Lorenz usually sat at—generally the space where their leader would sit, but let’s be real Lorenz is the next best thing—and he couldn’t see a thing from how tightly everyone was packed around it. 

Perhaps they were looking over a map? It wouldn’t be the first time. Or maybe someone left something on his desk? A note? A gift from a secret admirer?

But as he made way for the desk it soon became clear that this was no object of interest, it was a person sitting on his desk. 

Not  _ at _ his desk,  _ on it.  _

Marianne saw him coming and with a rare bright smile stepped back for Lorenz to join the circle 

“And here he is now! Good morning Lorenz.” She called to him, her voice uplifted for the first time in Lorenz’s memory. 

Hilda spun around and grabbed Lorenz as he passed behind her to the now open place, “oh my goddess he’s here he’s finally here!”

“Who's here? Were you expecting any-” as Lorenz looked up at the figure his words died in his throat. 

The figure perched on the desk was relaxed, well built and clearly strong, but relaxed. His brown hair was messy with one long lock braided down the side, and his eyes were an almost unnatural piercing green. 

And he was dressed in a uniform with a yellow capelet around one shoulder. 

Lorenz stood, near mistified. 

The smirking young man held out a hand, “Well well well if it isn’t the famous Lorenz Hellman Gloucester! Your reputation precedes you. Hilda was telling me all about how you took charge while I was out—thanks for that by the way, we didn’t realize how long it was gonna take to get me here.” 

Lorenz tentatively shook the hand offered, “ah… yes well someone had to Ah….” 

“Claude. Claude von Riegan, you’ve probably never heard of me.” He smirked, and Lorenz had no idea how to respond. 

“no, I haven’t...”

“well that makes sense, my side of the family is an offshoot with no real relevance to the main line as far as money goes, I knew I was related though my mom’s something-or-other, but never figured it’d amount to anything… but well, given the current situation—I’m sure you know all that—“ Claude pauses to roll his eyes. 

Lorenz didn’t miss his Claude scanned the group after that, his eyes lingering on each response, reading each person right then and there. 

“and the fact that somehow I ended up with the crest, well here I am!” Claude ended with a clap, “presto, heir to something I had no idea I had anything to do with, haha! I’m just as surprised as all of you! But glad to be here!”

He said a lot but told nothing. But Lorenz kept his polite smile. 

“But I thought the heir situation was settled a year ago!” Hilda piped up with portly hidden suspicion, “why were you not with us at the start of the school year?” 

“Oh that, well despite being named heir I wasn’t living anywhere close by at the time, I couldn’t just drop all my other obligations at a single letter, so I had to get that sorted, then spend a month or two getting schooled in the customs of the greater nobility, convincing the old man I was even  _ ready _ for the academy, and then on the way here we ended up having some trouble with carriages breaking and stuff. I was supposed to be here like a week ago, sorry.” 

“Well I’m certainly glad you’re here now!” Leonie replied with a huff, “we weren’t getting anything done! The academy is understaffed so a third of the time we don’t even have a teacher!” 

Lysithea nodded, “we’ve been teaching ourselves, and not too well. The others are doing fine cause they’re organized, but we’re not all like them. Not to say we aren’t skilled individually but… well the houses have leaders for a reason!” 

Claude looked from her back to Lorenz, “no teacher? Well what were you doing in the meantime? we’ll fall behind the other houses at this rate and we can’t have that now can we! The old man’ll have my head if I don’t take good care of you all!”

Lorenz’s awkward demeanor immediately switched, grabbing from his bag a notebook which he flipped right to a page of lists he’d made regarding each student and their prior knowledge and skill sets. His back straightened, his voice ceased to waver, and he didn’t miss Claude’s eyes and grin widen in response. 

He began to roll out the evaluations, making sure to keep a close eye on Claude’s responses to each, “Well I suppose it’s easiest enough to break off into three groups; the magic focused, the ranged focused, and the melee focused. I couldn’t help but notice you have a bow, we have another notable archer in the group in Ignatz, I suggest keeping him on that path as his size and constitution wouldn’t fare him well in melee, now in regards to magic,  _ that _ is an area our class seems to truly excel, we have a variety of skill sets including...”


	2. Concerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m just concerned about your reputation! It’s not like I’m jealous that you like them more than me!!! I totally DONT want to be your confidant and co-conspirator, I just think that as the second most powerful noble in the house that I’m a smarter choice! But it’s not that I like you or anything!!!

Once the Golden Deer got rolling nothing seemed to be able to stop them, and as much as Lorenz distrusted Claude, he admitted he caused a fantastic boon in house morale and organization. 

Where Lorenz had felt outnumbered and useless in the face of such a diverse class, Claude only saw a perfect team waiting to be brought together. Sure there were problems—Marianne wasn’t confident even with both of their praise, and Hilda’s mock laziness did little to mask her anxiety—the house finally felt like a _team_. 

Lorenz still wanted his desk back though. 

He was willing, however, to pick a different seat if it meant Claude took the duty of training the non magic focused members off his shoulders. He could focus on his own skills, along with coaxing Marianne into trying new things, and trying to keep Lysithea from leaving them both in the dust. 

And for a short while all seemed fine. Not great, not terrible. Just fine. And well, Lorenz was _fine_ with fine! 

Fine wasn’t ideal, but it let him spend time with the classmates he shared interests with. It let him watch the others grow in turn. Hilda adored Claude, he wouldn’t be surprised if they got married. Yes, that was a future he could accept, the alliance would be rather chaotic but they balance each other well. Perhaps he’d marry Marianne, maybe one day she’d wake up understanding how wonderful she really is. 

They might not be fairytale soulmates but making her happy made him happy, and that was enough. 

Lysithea would make a good professor, he thinks. She’s dedicated to her studies and the school, it'd be good for her. 

Ignatz would finally get up the nerve to tell his parents to shove it up their ass and the rest of the house would support him, Leonie would make a great knight, Raphael would… do whatever it is he wanted to do. Probably follow Ignatz to the end of the earth. They’d grow up, graduate, and well maybe Lorenz’s father would always be a little bitter, but things were  _ fine.  _

Until Byleth came along. 

Byleth entered the Golden Deer house like a hurricane, with Claude following at their heels like a little lost…  _ flirtatious _ puppy.

And it made Lorenz sick to his stomach, for some reason. 

Even looking at them interact made him ill, Claude always hanging off their arm, and they didn’t even seem to notice! How could they not notice? It was almost disgusting watching their very own professor act like nothing about the behavior was improper. They had lunch together so often, Claude took their arm as they walked the halls, and how often did Lorenz stumble upon them hunching over some old tome in the library, shoulder to shoulder!

Yes Byleth was the same age as the general student population--in fact Lorenz could name at least one student likely older than them--but still, why them and why  _ Claude _ ? The professor certainly had their pick of the students, Sylvain even changed houses just to be taught by them! 

And yet they managed to spend the most time with Claude. 

Hilda and Lysithea had the gall to suggest he might be  _ jealous!  _ The Lorenz, jealous! Absurd!

He wasn’t in love with the professor, they weren’t even his favorite of the house members. Sure, he deeply respected them, and yes, they were almost otherworldly in their good looks, but that doesn’t make for a good relationship. Lorenz liked to think he was a little less shallow than that. No, the professor was too aloof for his tastes, too detached. Despite all his propriety, Lorenz liked some passion to his relationships. How was one to make children if you can hardly hold a conversation? 

No, he wanted to marry someone who challenged him intellectually, wasn’t afraid to tell him when he’s wrong, and made life enjoyable! Someone he’d be glad to wake up next to every day! 

(Frankly he’d consider Leonie if he wasn’t absolutely sure she’d be _miserable_ as a noble. As much as she charmed him in her manner, he cared for her too deeply to cage her. The stifling propriety would destroy all the things he loved about her.) 

And while Byleth was intelligent and forward in their criticisms, he simply couldn’t imagine a long standing partnership in which they managed to keep sparking the fire in him. If Byleth was a bit more… engaging, perhaps he’d be interested. 

And upon explaining these incredibly valid points, the girls laughed, for some reason. 

“Oh Lorenz, we knew that… that’s not what we meant…” Hilda giggled. 

“Then what were you speaking of? If you knew that I’m not jealous of the Professor then--Gah! You’re so confusing!” 

The girls continued to giggle after he stomped off. 

The professor found him soon after. 

“Good morning Lorenz, are you alright?”

He flinched, “ah, yes, of course, why?”

“I couldn’t catch the conversation, but it seems like Hilda and Lysithea were teasing you. Is everything fine?” their brow furrowed. 

Lorenz sighed, “Yes, everything is fine, I simply managed to let them talk me into a corner, regardless of the fact that I’m unsure of what corner it was.”

“You’re unsure?”

“Yes, I… I believe they may have been trying to trick me into admitting if I hold… affections for anyone here at the academy. They made baseless accusations of jealousy, and as I attempted to explain why such assumptions were unfounded i ended up… exposing my ‘type’ so to speak. I believe that was their aim, though for what purpose, I cannot even begin to discern.”

Byleth’s eyebrows quirk up just the slightest bit, “Oh? And since the cat is out of the bag, would it be out of place to ask?”

Lorenz rolled his eyes, “I… I expressed my desire for a partner who keeps me emotionally and mentally engaged. I don’t want to have some silent, sad spouse who never talks to me, or intellectually stimulates me. I’d rather have a healthy bit of competition in my relationships than let all the passion of the relationship fizzle.” 

Byeth nodded, “well that doesn’t seem unreasonable at all, in fact I couldn’t have given better advice if I tried. Perhaps they have someone in mind to set you up with? Given the… shenanigans we Golden Deer seem to be infamous for…” 

It did warm his heart to hear them refer to the house as “we”.

He sighed, “I hope not, the last thing I want to have in a speech at my wedding is Hilda saying she’s the one who set it up!” 

Byleth didn’t laugh, but their eyes betrayed their amusement, “well, then you ought to figure out her plan and enact it before she can.” 

Perhaps he just might, he was intending to get married to someone from the academy after all. It did seem as though the world was working against him but perhaps his scope was too narrow?


	3. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyone: what is Lorenz doing?  
> My, crying: His best!!!

The ball was, outwardly, one of Lorenz’s favorite academy events. 

And all of his usual reservations about such a thing vanished when in the company of his classmates—they were of like minds on many subjects, including dance partner protocol or lack thereof, Lorenz had no reservations on who he might dance with—leaving him with little to worry about. 

Truly, he had nothing to worry about. At the academy people could dance with who they chose or not dance at all, save for the custom that each house member takes at least one dance with their leader as a sign of house unity and respect. Plus, the house leaders were incredibly high ranking, often royalty! Why wouldn’t you? Most people tried for all three if they could. 

Why was Lorenz so nervous? He only had one obligation that night; a single dance with Claude. After that he could sit in a corner for all the rest cared! 

Of course, seeing as Lorenz loved to dance that wouldn’t be the case. He wanted to at the least have a dance with the Professor, out of politeness as well as a chance to chat, one with Marianne who would  _ certainly _ try to wallflower herself the whole night and Lorenz would have none of it—especially not after personally tutoring her waltzing—and perhaps with a few of the more amicable students of the other classes. 

Dorothea has swept the White Heron cup after all, he ought to give her the respect of a dance. 

Plus he could always use his poker face to upend Sylvain or Ferdinand by dancing with either of them, which would be particularly amusing. 

Well, Sylvain would be amusing. Ferdinand would likely just enjoy it authentically, because it’s Ferdie and that’s just how Ferdie  _ is _ . 

Sylvain however, in all his repression,  _ that _ would be hilarious. 

As much as Lorenz liked to pretend he was above the tomfoolery and shenanigans associated with the Golden Deer, he did love a good trick on occasion. Or perhaps he was simply loosening up as he grew more comfortable in the school? 

He was on edge the whole morning, and others noticed. 

“Are you okay?” Leonie asked as she sat next to him in the dining hall. 

“What are you doing here?” he deflected, “I thought Hilda had you all cornered for a getting ready party.”

She motioned to her incredibly full food tray, “Snack run, didn’t promise I wouldn’t sit down to eat my own lunch too! Now back to you, what’s eating you?” 

He sighed, knowing the futility of hiding anything from Leonie, “if I knew I wouldn’t be having this problem. I adore balls and the like, yet I  _ dread _ this evening.”

She smiles softly, “I didn’t expect you to be nervous, I’ll admit. I’ve been… nervous too, but I know exactly why. I’ve never been to a fancy party and even though everyone’s been helping me prepare… I just think it’ll be so obvious who’s used to this and who isn’t. It’s kinda comforting to know someone else is nervous too.” 

“Well that’s just it though, I have no reason to be nervous. I’ve been doing this my whole life I… the only difference is that here I’m among classmates, friends, most of whom have no strict expectations of me! This should be a joy of unfathomable proportion! And yet I… I dread it.” 

“It’s likely that freedom your mind is fearful of.” Leonie assured him, “You’re used to this being simple, scripted, easy. You know what to say and who to say it to. But here you don’t have to follow the script because no one here expects you to be anything but yourself. Congrats! You now have the opportunity to think for yourself.” 

Before he could snap that he’s always thought for himself, she was gone, a ruffle to his hair the only sign she’s ever been there before she was off, carrying her tray full of snacks back to Hilda’s bedroom where the Golden Deer girls were pre-gaming the night’s festivities by spending twelve hours just getting ready.

Perhaps could she be right? This was a diversion from the usual, and perhaps his… difficulties with connecting with his classmates might be the cause of his anxiety. 

Yes, surely it was simply a matter of this event being purely social, rather than performative.

That placated him until the last hour before the event, and he was in the garden when Leonie returned. 

She had on a loose silky robe over her dress, and just the hem of the tangerine organza poked out under the soft brown. 

“So I’m nervous again.” She whispered, joining him on the bench of the gazebo he was waiting in, “I’m afraid I’m going to forget all the steps to all the dances! Even though I got help from like everybody! I learned every dance in both parts!” 

Lorenz stood up and turned to face her, “well there’s time for a review.” He reaches out a hand.

With a nervous giggle she took it and stood. 

They ran through some of the more complex steps, and Lorenz gently coaxed her into relaxing. Her biggest problem was she naturally wanted to lead in every dance, so her following ended up being a little jerky as she lost track of her movement. 

“Leonie, relax your shoulders. You’re thinking about it too hard. Remember I’m the one who’s guiding  _ you,  _ all you have to do is let your body follow.” 

“But if I don’t think about it how do I do it?” 

He smiled softly, “it’s really not that hard, your body knows the steps,” he smirked with an idea, “Anyway, while I have the chance to ask, how did getting ready go?” 

Leonie was immediately distracted, flushing gently and averting her eyes, “O-oh, well, I didn’t have anything to wear so Hilda took me out shopping earlier this week. It was a mess though, we had completely different ideas on what I should wear.” 

“I can only imagine the things she tried to make you wear,” a more difficult step, into a twirl, “I see you at least got her to settle on a reasonable color.” 

“She tried to make me wear pink!” Leonie cried. 

Lorenz chuckled, “I can’t fathom you in pink.” 

He began to even deviate from the normal waltz steps, into a completely different set, “but we’ll have to excuse her, she’s only so enthusiastic because she wants to share her interests with you.” 

“I know, and I want to spend time with her! And like it is genuinely fascinating some of the stuff involved with fabric draping and shaping the face using makeup and all that but… it’s just not how I like presenting myself, you know?” 

“I do know, and I also know we’ve ended a dance and started another and you didn’t even notice.” 

“I-what?” She steps back, “how did you do that?” 

“I distracted you. So your brain could stop getting in the way of your feet.” 

Just then a rustle in the bushes and a call stole their attention, 

“Hey lovebirds! You know there’s a whole ball going on inside, right?” Sylvain called, standing on tiptoe to peek over the hedges. 

Leonie let go of his hands immediately and clasps them behind her back. 

Lorenz’s heart dropped as he saw the worry between her brows. And his mood sank like a rock as she scurried away.


End file.
